Román Valdez is the rebellious son of a corrupt politician in the Mexican city of Guanajuato. Hes been expelled from so many private schools that his father is forced to place him at a less prestigious institution, where he meets Maru, a cool, weird, middleclass girl who lives with a single mom and sister.
The two decide to run away from home together, vowing never to part and giggling their way through the early stages of the film. While they trick their families into believing theyve left for Mexico City they are actually camping on Románs roof, sneaking into the house for food when the family is out.
Watching the two young actors (obviously played by real teens and not 20somethings masquerading as such) awkwardly stumble through a passionate friendship and into their first romantic and sexual experiences seems almost uncomfortably real.
Of course, 15 year olds never understand the repercussions of their actions and it soon becomes clear that their adventurous swindle wont end well, but by that point its too late to turn back. Incidentally, the phrase "voy a explotar means "Im gonna explode, which perfectly describes the passionate, headstrong and often totally irrational fiery energy with which the would-be revolutionaries soldier on, hoping that love will be their guiding light and save them.
The performances here are probably better than the film itself, which relies on a few too many "runaway teen clichés and a fair bit of melodrama in the third act. However, this is worth seeing just for the breakout performance by youngster Maria DesChamps as Maru, who is absolutely pitch-perfect from start to finish.
(Seville)The two decide to run away from home together, vowing never to part and giggling their way through the early stages of the film. While they trick their families into believing theyve left for Mexico City they are actually camping on Románs roof, sneaking into the house for food when the family is out.
Watching the two young actors (obviously played by real teens and not 20somethings masquerading as such) awkwardly stumble through a passionate friendship and into their first romantic and sexual experiences seems almost uncomfortably real.
Of course, 15 year olds never understand the repercussions of their actions and it soon becomes clear that their adventurous swindle wont end well, but by that point its too late to turn back. Incidentally, the phrase "voy a explotar means "Im gonna explode, which perfectly describes the passionate, headstrong and often totally irrational fiery energy with which the would-be revolutionaries soldier on, hoping that love will be their guiding light and save them.
The performances here are probably better than the film itself, which relies on a few too many "runaway teen clichés and a fair bit of melodrama in the third act. However, this is worth seeing just for the breakout performance by youngster Maria DesChamps as Maru, who is absolutely pitch-perfect from start to finish.
